I’ve done a lot of painting in The Sims 4, but generally have my sims sell the paintings, so I came up with this idea to try and have two sims get as many different paintings and display them. To make it harder, your sims are going to start with nothing!

I will be doing a short Let’s Play of this challenge, I’ll be covering the goals and rules noted here in my video premiering on at 7 pm EST, Sunday, December 4, 2022.

Set Up/Rules/Suggestions:

1. Start with two sims (can be aged teen and up, whatever you want, relationship between them is also up to you). If you want to add a third, non painting sim to help with collectibles/yard sales, that’s up to you, but they can’t be used for painting.
2. You can turn aging off or use a normal or long lifespan. I don’t recommend using a short lifespan.
3. Your sims start with nothing. You can make ‘seed’ money for painting via Odd Jobs (Island Living), Errands (Cottage Living), finding/selling collectibles, etc., though the focus should be on using painting to make money. Of course painting tends to be an easy way to make money, though possibly not as easy because you can only sell duplicate paintings. (Since the sims start with no money, if you wish, you can start using the ‘Making Money’ scenario as a way to set the funds to zero. If you do, completing the scenario won’t be part of this challenge.)
4. You can use easels on public lots, etc. before your sims have enough money for an easel.
5. Start on an empty lot that is at least 40×30, though it can be bigger. This is so you have room for your room/building to display the paintings. Re the empty lot, that means no buildings, but if it’s a lot that has a little landscaping, including a pond (but no fishing sign until your sims can buy it), that’s fine.
6. You can sell any duplicate paintings, the rest must be kept and displayed in some manner on your lot. You can choose which duplicate to sell (i.e. I recommend selling the more valuable versions of the paintings to help keep your bills down).
7. You can use a household club, but you can’t have non household members join and paint. Only your two painting sims can paint.
8. You can buy your sim any reward traits they can with their reward points. I recommend the ‘marketable’ reward trait to increase the value of your sims’ paintings once your sims have the points for it.
9. I don’t recommend using any of the following to boost the painting skill, as some paintings are only available at lower skills, so you don’t want to rush through maxing the painting skill:
   • a tiny residential lot (though you can use to boost other skills once your sims have already maxed the painting skill),
   • using a club perk to boost the painting skill, and/or
   • using the Natural Light lot trait.

Goals:

1. Keep any painting that is different (i.e. ‘unique’).
2. At a minimum have at least five of every type and size, however you need to keep any unique paintings that your sims paint so hopefully you’ll end up with more than five of each type. This includes all emotional paintings and the figure paintings if you have DU.
   • Types of base game paintings that come in three sizes are classic, pop art, impressionism, surrealism, realism & abstract. (so since there are 6 types, that’s a minimum of 6×5=30 small, 6×5=30 medium, & 6×5=30 large for these six types of paintings)
   • Landscape paintings are just one size (so minimum 5 of the these).
   • Emotional painting types: flirty, confident, playful, sad, angry & focused & only come in one size. Note that focused paintings builds logic skill, and logic skill is what unlocks the different types of focused paintings, so at least one of your two sims must build their logic skill. (so minimum 5×6=30 of these)
   • If you have Discover University (“DU”), try to get at least five different types of figure paintings (per a Sims Sanctuary Facebook group member, there are 9 different types). (5 more of these)
3. Have your painting sims do a large paint by reference of each other. (2 more paintings)
4. The minimum total different paintings you should have are 127 (30+30+30+5+30+2) if you don’t have DU, 132 if you have DU.
5. Put all the paintings you’ve collected, including the paint by reference of each sim (i.e. two paint by reference paintings), on display in a separate room, possibly separate building (i.e. ‘art gallery’), on the sim’s home lot.
6. Upload your lot (or room with all the paintings) to the gallery once you’re done and use #MSPaintingChallenge when sharing. Share your progress & pictures in the group*, including how many different paintings in total and by type that you got.
7. Have both sims both complete the painting aspiration.
8. Have both sims complete the fortune aspiration. To do that, both your sims will need to have earned 200,000 and have 50,000 in household funds. Note that any funds earned by selling through the street gallery, which requires City Living, get attributed to everyone in the household, which can make it easier to complete this aspiration.

General Rags to Riches Guidelines:

Link to my updated Rags to Riches blog post:
https://maplesimmer.video.blog/2020/05/05/sims-4-rags-to-riches-guidelines/

*Contact Me:

If you would like to share your gameplay of this challenge, or if have any questions head over to my Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/maplesimmersimssanctuary or my discord, https://discord.gg/aJaX7Pca8A